Watching Real Farm Stories: Against the Grain on TV

Today, I got home from the airport and should have been busily working on so many things. As I turned on the TV, I thought I would find something that could play in the background. Instead, I found something that left me spellbound. It’s a TV show that talks to various farmers about the 2011 season and how devastating Mother Nature was here in Missouri.

The TV show is called Against the Grain and they have a social media presence that crosses several channels — Twitter as @AgainstTGrain, Facebook as Against the Grain TV. Seeing how they describe the show’s coming into being, helps you understand why I thought the show was so gripping! (You can click on the photo at right to see the promo.)

It was inevitable that Hollywood would someday embrace the steadfast families who, against all odds, contribute so much to our tables, our economy, and our lives. Against The Grain is empowering and inspiring television programming designed to bring those families, and the power of the American spirit, to viewers nationwide.

There is one special Against the Grain: Mother Nature Strikes Back which included visits with several farmers through the 2011 season. The farmers included in this episode (which I would love to think of as a pilot that gets picked up by a production company) are described on the website the following way:

Farmers are America’s original entrepreneurs. Being a farmer is a full-time profession that requires a wide range of skills and expertise–from electrical wiring to plant pathology–and a high level of risk-tolerance. It is not for the timid, or for people who like to sleep late. You have to give it your all, come hail or high water… and do it all again next year.

Kevin Mainord is a Farmer, and Mayor of East Prairie, Missouri. East Prairie (pop 3,176) is in southeast Missouri, where the Mississippi and Ohio rivers meet.

Although I don’t think I’ve ever met him, I am positive we know people in common. And hearing him describe the force of the destruction unleashed when the Army Corps of Engineers blew up the levee flooding the Bootheel…. well, I feel like I know him very well. You may remember I watched the flooding last year with incredible awe and took photos and wrote posts.

The Hughes family (above left) of Nevada, Missouri: Lincoln and Trinnade are full-time farmers. They raise corn, soybeans, wheat… plus a few chickens and pigs for the boys for 4-H. The three Hughes boys love to hunt and they are all hoping to be farmers.

Tom Raffety (above right) farms in Illinois and Missouri, on both sides of the Mississippi river.

I have to wonder if my tuning in late meant missing more of the story from Tom Raffety, but I got a lot of the Hughes Family’s story. And it was tough to take in so many ways because eit so closely mirrors what I’ve seen this year. Talking about how the weather had pushed it from potential to little hope to near hopelessness for the crop. And yet, they Hughes’ discuss all the things friends do — how they can possibly buy a tractor or how they could possibly farm without it, whether the crop is too far gone to spend money on or whether hope remains. I felt like I had visited with them on one of my many farm visits, even though I know I haven’t.

I encourage you to find out when it will air in your city/town and if it’s not scheduled, push your local stations to give you good programming like it! They have lots of airings coming up in the next couple of weeks. PLEASE WATCH! You’ll be glad you did!

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About Janice Person

I'm Janice & this blog is about my passions -- photography, travel, agriculture & whatever else comes to mind. Putting all those things together is intriguing to me…. I can spend a lot of time soaking it up! It's almost always a colorful adventure!

I saw some mention that some places were rebroadcasting… Maybe it could be rebroadcast. As far as the St. Louis station, I don’t know that I had ever turned that station on before but they sure got my attention!

I am going to have to check this out for sure! Sadly, I went and checked the next time it will be playing in my area and its not until Sept 23rd and 12:00 pm. Seriously that a long time away! Considering that the Tulsa area will be replaying it this weekend I think the end of Sept is a bit much…..sigh

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This Blog is Just Me

This blog is a personal channel of expression and I'm the one responsible. It does not represent official communications from my employer, Monsanto Company, my family or any other entity. The views expressed herein and of guest authors do not necessarily reflect the my views, those of the company or of anyone else. It also doesn’t mean that my family or friends agree — I’m lucky to have a big tent of people I call my family and friends. I love that we can have discussions about what we are passionate about and better understand each other.

Who is JP?

Thanks for stopping by and wondering what I am about. My passions are photography, travel and agriculture -- love spending time taking pictures on a farm far from home. Putting all those things together its understandable that differences in culture are intriguing to me…. I can spend a lot of time soaking up things. Its almost always a colorful adventure!